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Drug Ring Trafficking More Than $1 Million In Heroin Busted

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Steve Birr Vice Reporter
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Police sunk a major heroin distribution ring that trafficked roughly 15 pounds of heroin worth more than $1 million over the past two years in Wisconsin, charging 11 people with felony drug charges Thursday.

Authorities launched an investigation into the operation after finding more than 100 grams of heroin during a traffic stop in August in Fond du Lac County. Police say they seized more than 150 grams of heroin over the course of their months-long investigation, seven grams of crack cocaine, thousands of dollars in cash and a number of firearms. Ten individuals were arrested for their role in the trafficking scheme, however one suspect, Jody Wegener, remains on the run, reports FOX 6.

Over the course of the investigation, officers seized roughly 1,500 bundles of heroin worth up to $60,000.

“The quantities of heroin that we alleged to be involved in this investigation show that this was a significant source of drug trafficking into the City of Fond du Lac and our region in general,” William Lamb, Fond du Lac police chief, told FOX 6.

Investigators said between March 2015 and February 2017, the group moved roughly 7,000 grams or 15.4 pounds of heroin throughout Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and Winnebago County, Illinois. Authorities are still on the hunt for Wegener and hope the public can assist police in catching her. The bust represents a major dent in drugs flowing into the region from Chicago.

Heroin overdoses killed 281 people in Wisconsin in 2015, accounting for more deaths than car accidents and tripling the number of fatalities attributed to heroin in 2010. Heroin overdose deaths spiked by 120 percent between 2014 and 2015 in Illinois.

Fatal overdoses from heroin quadrupled over the last five years across the U.S., according to data released Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics. They say the massive increase in heroin and general opioid abuse in the U.S. since 2010 is driven by lower drug prices and ingredients with higher potency, like fentanyl.

Authors of the study note that in 2010, only eight percent of all fatal drug overdoses stemmed from heroin. Roughly 25 percent of fatal drug overdoses in 2015 were caused by heroin.

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